Encapsulation of Fennel and Basil Essential Oils in ß-Cyclodextrin for Novel Biopesticide Formulation.

ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) is a good host for the encapsulation of fennel and basil essential oils (FEO and BEO, respectively) and the formation of inclusion complexes (ICs) using the co-precipitation method. According to the results of the GC/MS analysis conducted in this study, monoterpenes and monoterpenoids were the dominant chemical groups in total FEO, while in BEO, these two groups occurred along with sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids. The presence of dominant compounds from both EOs was validated using the FT-IR spectra of ICs, which indicated successful complexation. Analyses conducted using SPME/GC-MS showed the continuous emission of volatiles over 24 h from both ICs. Under SEM, particles of both ICs appeared to have a rectangular or rhomboid morphology and few aggregates. The insecticidal properties of EOs and ICs with ß-CD were tested on the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) as a model pest. The inclusion complex of ß-CD with FEO altered the developmental dynamic and body mass of the CPB. The initial increase in the proteolytic activity of CPB larvae fed with potato plants sprayed with ICs was not maintained for long, and the proteolytic efficacy of treated larvae remained in line with that of the control larvae. Future investigations will focus on manipulating the volume of EOs used and the treatment duration for optimal efficacy and potential application.

Metabolomics as a Potential Chemotaxonomical Tool: Application on the Selected Euphorbia Species Growing Wild in Serbia.

Chemotaxonomy presents various challenges that need to be overcome in order to obtain valid and reliable results. Individual genetic and environmental variations can give a false picture and lead to wrong conclusions. Applying a holistic approach, based on multivariate data analysis, these challenges can be overcome. Thus, a metabolomics approach has to be optimized depending on the subject of research. We used 1H NMR-based metabolomics as a potential chemotaxonomic tool on the selected Euphorbia species growing wild in Serbia. Principal components analysis (PCA), soft independent modeling by class analogy (SIMCA) and Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to analyze obtained NMR data in order to reveal chemotaxonomic biomarkers. The standard protocol for plant metabolomics was optimized aiming to extract more specific metabolites, which are characteristic for the Euphorbia genus. The obtained models were validated, which revealed that variables unique for each species were associated with certain classes of molecules according to literature data. In E. salicifolia, acacetin-7-O-glycoside (not found before in the species) was detected, and the structure of the aglycone part was solved based on 2D NMR data. In the presented paper, we have shown that metabolomics can be successfully used in Euphorbia chemotaxonomy.

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activity of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Essential Oil and Hydrolate.

Steam distillation was used for the isolation of Dracocephalum moldavica L. (Moldavian dragonhead) essential oil (DMEO). This aromatic herbaceous plant is widespread across the Northern Hemisphere regions and has been utilized in health-improving studies and applications. In addition to the DMEO, the hydrolate (DMH), a byproduct of the distillation process, was also collected. The DMEO and DMH were analyzed and compared in terms of their chemical composition, as well as their in vitro biological activities. The main component in DMEO was geranyl acetate, while geranial was dominant in DMH. The DMEO demonstrated better antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared with the DMH against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes, which represent sources of food-borne illness at the global level. The DMEO and DMH show promise as antioxidant and antimicrobial additives to various products.